Pakistan may not vote for World T20 in 2018: PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan on Monday hinted at the possibility that Pakistan may not vote for the staging of the World T20 in 2018, two years before the planned World T20 in 2020, The Indian Express reported.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) along with its member boards was to hold the next edition of the World T20 in 2020 as the 50-over World Cup is set to be held in 2019 and the Champions Trophy in 2017.

However, according to recent media reports, the ICC has been negotiating with sports broadcasting giant Star Sports to secure a signature for a two-year deal which will result in the staging of World T20 events every two years, lending to a promise of lucrative revenues in both 2018 and 2020.

Shaharyar Khan appeared to be in the dark about the development, saying: “So far we don’t know anything about the ICC wanting the World T20 to return in 2018 but when the matter does come up we are not likely to support it.”

Indian media suggests that cricket’s global body was ‘encouraged’ by the massive viewership of the 2016 World T20 held in India earlier this year.

If an agreement is reached, the decision to stage a World T20 every two years will depend on a vote which will be held at the ICC Annual Conference in June.

The PCB chief is of the opinion that T20 cricket is being played in excess and the right balance needs to be struck between the longest and shortest formats of the game.

“Commercialisation of cricket is there but we need to strike the right balance. We need to safeguard against the public tiring of T20 cricket.”